A Story in One Shots: Volume 2
by rivereq
Summary: Dimitri Belikov is guardian to the last Dragomir princess. Rose Hathaway is an un-promised Dhampir working at St.Vladimir's Academy. Love has sparked but its not necessarily a good thing. (Edited)
1. Chapter 1

Richelle Mead owns these characters.

**Chapter 1**: Raise Your Weapon.

'We're doing all we can.' Those words were the only promise that she could make to him.

By touching his shoulder lightly and looking him in his eyes, the sorrow covered the hope in her expression. I watched from the window of the room where the very girl they spoke of laid. She was unconscious, bleeding from her head and completely exhausted from the amount of spirit she had used attempting to save an elementary student who was attacked and on the verge of death. He sat back down, sad and brooding looking to be in slight shame. His arms set on his elbows at the very tips of his knees, his hands -with those long and gentle fingers covered his face. His hair messy and falling out of the usual leather band he kept it in.

He looked devastated and of course he was blaming himself. He was guilty for letting something like this happen. It's happen before but his charge had been under the protection of another but that hadn't mattered, in his eyes, he was the one to blame. I knew there was nothing neither I nor anyone else could do or say to change his mind. He was a lot like me in that way; stubborn. When it came to his charge -his job and life he was always responsible, whether his fault or not. It was one of the reasons why he was one of the best.

The beeping of the heart monitor brings me back to the room and I continue with my duty cleaning up the princess' wounds. I was a Dhampir, a female Dhampir and I was also the daughter of a very powerful Moroi. One who was much feared but somewhat loved all at the same time. Abe Mazur or Zmey as some would call him was the only reason why I wasn't a guardian myself. I had grown up with him in Russia, Turkey and here in America, where he would sometimes have business. I went to academies all over the world but I never got my promise mark like a lot of my Dhampir friends did. I was a medical assistant here at St. Vladimir's in Montana. Where the last Dragomir princess was attending her last year of school.

**...**

_After graduating from here myself, I had convinced Abe that this was where I wanted to be. I didn't want to sit around and follow him everywhere he went. I wanted a life of my own and here, in Montana, was where I felt it would be. And then two years ago, the Dragomir princess had survived a tragic accident that took the lives of her family. She showed up with two guardians; Guardian Castile and Guardian Belikov._

_They were the best of their class, both from schools in Russia and both were the very reason that she was still alive today. As soon as they showed up to the academy I had befriended Eddie or Guardian Castile in front of our peers. He and I were close in age, just turning twenty-one myself, so we had a lot in common. The other guardian, the extremely tall and godlike one, he was a bit more closed off. He was dedicated to his charge and was very anti-social._

_Until Alberta had us working together for last year's trials. He had gotten hurt when the bridge he was fighting a student on had collapsed and I had been the one to asses him._

_I was helping Dr. Olendski out as she was tending to the student who had blacked out. I would remember that day as if it were a cherished memory carved into my brain. He was feeling a little down and guilty about the way the fight went. The student had underestimated his attacks and when the bridge fell, he had tried to save him but ended up falling off too. I could see in his eyes that he blamed himself and it bothered me that he took so much responsibility for something he couldn't help._

_'It was an accident, you know? It wasn't your fault; the bridge was old and gave out.' He looked sullen and stared to the floor as I patched up the huge gash on his forehead. I continued to watch his eyes in case he had a concussion but also because they carried so much in them, I found myself trapped._

_'I'm his mentor; I should've protected him anyway.' He spoke firmly._

_I glanced at his brooding expression and his deep brown eyes were hard to avoid. 'I thought the object of the trials were so the students could learn to protect their charges?' I carefully questioned._

_He sighed long and hard, as if he was frustrated with himself. 'It is but I should've been prepared for anything.' I look to him once again before going back to un-wrapping the band aid in my hands._

_I shake my head in disbelief that he anchors so much; that he really believes this was his entire fault. 'You take yourself way too seriously.' I turn for a second to for another q-tip to apply some anti-bacterial cream. 'You're a guardian not a superhero. It was an accident.'_

_His eyes rise to mine and the look he gives is blank but anger flashes in them before I could return my attention to the gash above his eyebrow. 'No, I am a guardian. I'm supposed to be better than a superhero.' The firm and angry tone of his voice stops me from bandaging his wound and we stare at each other for a few quiet minutes._

_Our eyes meet, the momentum heavy and intense, and his eyes still show so much. I swallow and slowly return to my task. 'Guardians don't have telepathy… How were you supposed to know the bridge would give out?' He didn't but by the look he gave me, he didn't have to answer me out loud. So I just quietly carry on. 'Pick up your head, please… and don't feel so guilty. It wasn't your fault; Dr. Olendski says Mr. Ashford will be just fine. The impact just knocked him out, he'll live.'_

_After that day our strictly professional relationship had changed. He had looked for me during dinner one evening, not long after that day in the clinic. I was in my room, talking to Abe on one of his routine phone calls when I heard a knock. He had stopped by to thank me for telling him what he needed to hear. That Mason didn't even hold it against him and even thanked him for trying to save him as he fell. He even thanked me for fixing him up. Then -to my shock and surprise he had asked to walk with me to the cafeteria for dinner._

_It was cold out and as I clutched my pea coat tighter to my body, I smiled a little as he had on his infamous duster, the very one that Eddie had regularly made fun of him for. When we got to the cafeteria though he had just given me a formal nod and then began walking away. I let him and then after gathering a tray full of food, I had searched for him. He always sat alone at a table towards the back of the building. A book in his hand and his eyes every so often drifting to the princess as she ate with her friends and boyfriend._

_I walked right up to him, placed my tray on the table and then sat down. His shocked expression flashed quickly through his chocolate eyes and I smirked amusedly. 'You did ask to accompany me to dinner, Guardian Belikov.' I say with a smirk._

_As I looked to my food and began eating, I felt his stare before I caught it. A smile left my lips as he watched me in slight surprise and wonder. He nodded and set down his book to the side of him. I offered him fries and kept conversation light as I knew he needed to keep watch of the princess. After that, we had begun a friendship of sorts. We would eat dinner together, I would visit with him before his training sessions and he even stopped by the clinic a few times._

_Our friendship had quickly led to feelings that I knew I couldn't have for him. I tried to keep my distance and tried to push away my growing affection for him but it seemed to come back even stronger. One night, as he was on his late shift, I had left my room to wonder around the campus and then ran right into him. That was the night I had let myself slip into my reckless behavior and he had lost his beloved control. We had kissed. It was a feeling I would always remember, even after he pulled away, apologized and left me standing there._

**...**

'Ms. Hathaway?' I turn and shake my head out of my memories and face Dr. Olendski. She smiles lightly and asks me to tend to another victim.

A Strigoi attacking an academy was very rare but with the staking of the wards we were all kind of on edge. A small group of students who were using magic near one of the wards was responsible for weakening it. Therefore whatever human or humans that were helping the Strigoi were able to steak them and help Strigoi invade the campus. The princess was attacked after leaving the safety of her room to search for her boyfriend. When they found each other near the elementary campus, they came across a little girl who was critically injured.

The princess tried to help her and just as she did a Strigoi had caught up to them. Eddie had saved her in the nick of time but she suffered wounds to the head and lost a lot of blood. Guardian Belikov had found them and carried her all the way over here to the health ward. Where she lays now unconscious and tired and also where he sits. Just outside in front of her room, he was brooding and feeling guilty for his charge becoming injured.

As I pass him in the hallway on my way to another room, I touch his shoulder lightly and bend to whisper in his ear. 'She's going to be okay. You got here just in time.' As I stood up to leave he grabs my hand though and squeezes gently.

We find each other's eyes and stare. Those eyes, his beautiful eyes so sad and deep, it makes me want to comfort him. However the whole idea of us hiding our feelings for each other flashes in my mind and I break the contact as quickly as possible. I finish my rounds as everything has calmed down by now. The campus is safe and the guardians are investigating the attack. There's even talk of Moroi and Dhampir that have been taken and a rescue mission is being hatched.

He comes back from the meeting and sits in front of the room where the princess is still out. I walk by and fight to not look at him. It works but I can suddenly feel him behind me, he follows silently letting the warmth radiate off his body onto mine. I know what this means and so I walk to my office and close the door behind us. Soon I'm held tightly from behind and whispers of soft Russian words fill my heart and ears.

When I turn to face him, his eyes melt in sorrow and fear. 'What's wrong?' He shakes his head to say nothing but pulls me closer to him.

My head is tucked under his chin and I breathe into his chest, soaking up the warmth and comfort it gives me. His arms around my small frame tighten and he breathes in my hair, oh how he loves my hair. I pull away slightly to look up to him then touch his face softly to see his eye is bruised, his cheek too and his body shaking. 'Dimitri, what is it?'

He swallows hard and clutches his eyes closed tightly for just a short second. He licks his lips, the ones I've kissed over and over for the last few months. 'It's my fault, Roza. She's in there because of me.' It's silent as I ponder his soft spoken words.

He blames himself once again and I as much as I want to let him know it wasn't his fault, that he was on a whole other side of campus, he wouldn't hear of it. Another deep sigh releases itself from his lips and he looks to me in the familiar brooding guilty look I first saw him in. 'I was- I was too worried… I wasn't thinking right and now- now she's in there because of me! Because I was distracted.' _Distracted?_

In all the time I've known him and how I've come to find out so much, he was never distracted. He was too good for that. The students here considered him a god, I considered him a god because he knew his place, and he knew his duty. He carried himself proudly for it but the words coming out of his mouth were odd to me. So I try and make him see reason, 'Dimitri, no. No, you were trying to keep them away from her. You fought a lot of them, it wasn't your fault and you were looking for her-'

He shakes his head before I could finish my rambling. 'I was looking for you.' A cloud of dark heavy silence covered us as I took in his words.

And it all made sense now, everything caught up with me and as I looked into his eyes he knew it too.

Why he sat there in his guilt ridden state and never left the princess side. How every time Dr. Olendski left the room he asked if she was going to be okay. It was all the things we were afraid of happening before deciding to act on our feelings. We were hiding, yes, we hid everything from everyone. Our late night meet ups, our early mornings together, our stolen kisses and moments. It was hard acting like we weren't completely in love with each other. It was a lot harder than anything I've ever had to do.

The days and weeks that went by where I wore the hugest smile on my face. The nights I went to bed with him by my side and times I was too caught up in one of our conversations to pay attention when Dr. Olendski was asking me about a patient. I thought I hid it well because no one ever questioned me about it. I never showed weakness when I was around him or when someone would talk about him in front of me. I hid it so well; sometimes he would ask me if I really did love him. Then here, I thought he was the master of hiding things, of keeping his secrets to himself.

All it took was something like this to happen and he lost his control. The façade was long forgotten as he looked for me instead of following procedure and protecting his Moroi.

'Dimitri…' I whisper in the dark silence.

He just closes his eyes again holding me tighter to his warm body. I loved his body, I loved how lean and muscled it was in all the right places. 'Dimitri, listen to me…'

He pulls away shaking his head, opening his eyes which showed shame and disappointment. 'It's my fault, Roza. I wanted to make sure you were okay. That you weren't out on one of your late night walks and then- and then I see them get the princess… I should've- I should've been looking for _her!'_

It hurt to hear that but it was the truth and I knew that was the way it had to be. I lift his chin to face me with my fingers softly touching his face and kiss his lips. 'It's not your fault; she should've listened to you and stayed in her room, where you told her to stay.' As I finish saying this he's already shaking his head no and taking my hands into his own.

'I left to find you.' I try to kiss him again to silence his guilt but he stops me by leaning away. 'I'm going with them...' And just like that, just with those few words I know what he's saying.

That was a thing between us, one of the things I loved so much, we didn't really need to say what we meant sometimes. I would already know just by looking into those deep brown eyes what he was saying and I knew now exactly what he was saying. I just hoped and prayed in that moment that he would come back.


	2. Chapter 2

Richelle Mead owns these characters.

**Chapter 2:** Tonight, Tonight.

_'Should we be in here?'_

_'I'm not too sure...' We laugh at his words and I clutch his hand in mine tighter._

_We were like one of those teenage couples on campus, with our giggling and kissing. We wondered out to one of the old guardian cabins and decided to go in. As soon as he closed the door I was all over him, well, we were all over each other really. 'It was pure agony standing in that room watching you lecture about sex, Roza.'_

_I laugh as I take his lip in between my teeth. This morning I had to fill in for Dr. Olendski and give a safe sex lecture to one of the classes. And wouldn't you know it, the princess was in that class and so her guardian followed her; Dimitri._

_'I know it was so hard to avoid looking at you when I had to show everyone how put the condom on the banana.' He stops kissing my neck and looks at me in amused confusion. I just laugh and pull him and warmth back to me._

_'Not funny, Roza.' I laugh but it's muffled by his soft lips._

_'It's actually kind of hilarious, Comrade.' I laugh once again as he lays me on the bed and hovers over me. We kiss soft and slow at first; taking our time with the moment we have to be together. We don't get many of them and we were lucky to come across this one._

_The kisses pick up and have now become hungry and deep. His tongue dives into my mouth and taste so sweet. I cup his face with one hand and lightly touch his jaw line with the other. I would've never pictured something like this, especially after all the self-control we have fought through, self-control just flew right out of the window. His hands come up under my shirt, grabbing and gently squeezing my breast as his mouth leaves trails of kisses all over my neck and lips. I reach up and grab the ends of his hair pulling him further into me._

_We pull apart for air and I immediately reach for his shirt and pull it over his head. I was sitting up and he was on his knees as we continued kissing each other hungrily. I place my hands over his chest as he lays us back down, running my hands all over his abs and shoulders. His back flexes under my fingers as he's touching me all over. The heat his long fingers bring across my body burns me with excitement as I can't wait to feel the rest of his bare skin on me._

_Our breath becomes ragged as we continue to grope and grab at each other. 'I like touching you like this, Roza.' I smile under his lips as he kisses me deeply._

_'I like that you like touching me like this, Comrade.' He shakes his head at my nickname for him and rolls his eyes at me._

_A hungry lustful spark captures his eyes and the next thing I know my shirt is over my head and thrown to the floor.__His arms tighten around me and I slowly begin rolling my hips into his. His hands grab at my breast and then over my stomach, then they end up on my ass as he squeezes. 'Are we really doing this?' I ask against his moving lips._

_He nods a yes and continues running his hands over my exposed flesh. I switch positions on him and end up hovering over him. Once that happens, he quickly and skillfully sits up with me on his lap. His hands are at my back and dip into my jeans to touch my already heated skin. While they move up and down my back, I once again bite his lip as he tries to talk. 'I've waited a long time to touch you like this. You're so beautiful, Roza.'_

_His words give me another adrenaline rush and I reach in between us to unbuckle his pants. His hands stop at my bra and unsnap it, throwing it where our shirts lay on the floor. My hands rub over his chest and stomach to the exposed skin just under the top of his briefs, his breath quickens at the sudden touch of my fingers. He begins to cup my breast and then leans down leaving little kisses just above them and on my collar bone. His lips feel so good; I anticipate the feel of them on the rest of my body. I hold back a moan threatening to escape at the feel of his mouth on me._

_He couldn't possibly feel this good. We were still wearing our pants but rubbing and grinding every now and then. We were so into it, I had forgotten about the risk of getting caught by the other guardian's and right now I didn't care. All I wanted and could think of was Dimitri. The once silent and stoic guardian who would only watch me from a distance, the one who would barely speak to me. The one who is now kissing and touching me all over, driving me insane._

_We end up lying down again but he hovers over me this time. I keep my hands on his back touching and stroking the muscles that move as he fondles my breast with his hands, lips and tongue. The feel of him teasing me like this brings a smile to my face and that tender feeling in between my legs. All I want now is to rip off our jeans and have him in me as quickly as possible. I reach for his pants again and begin to push them down his legs. He looks into my eyes and smiles widely, the look of love and passion hitting me all at once._

_Just as our lips meet and our tongues touch softly again; his phone rings. We ignore the first ring and his pants are down to about his knees but then another ring of the phone sounds and he pulls away sighing. 'Let it ring...' I beg and reach for another kiss and he gladly returns it._

_Unfortunately right after, he pulls away and reaches for his phone. I sigh and fall back onto the bed knowing that the moment is over and this was as far as we were getting tonight. He finishes the call giving me a look of sorrow and a small sad smile. I watch him gaze at me and wait for him to say that he has to go now but he doesn't. No, instead he just sits on his knees, looking to me with adoration and wonder clear in his brown eyes._

_At first I got a little uncomfortable, thinking he found something on my body that he didn't like. So I move my arms over my bare chest to cover myself and whatever he didn't like. He just smiles slyly though, reaching out he removes my arms from my chest and once again sits staring for a few silent seconds until I finally decide to say something. 'What? What is it?'_

_He smiles widely again, showing his perfect white teeth and shaking his head signaling a nothing. 'You're absolutely beautiful, Roza.' In the silence that follows his eyes linger a few moments longer but the blush I was trying to hide leaves my cheeks. I smile back taking in his words then reach for him, bringing him back down by his chin to kiss his luscious lips once more._

**...**

It was a perfect time to remember that memory as now we were in that very cabin. In that same bed and did some of those same things. We lay there, naked and tired, holding each other as close as possible. It was our last chance to show each other just how much we loved one another. How much we ached to be together but couldn't.

He was to leave on the rescue mission first thing at sunrise and I was going to be here, waiting in anticipation for him to come back. After he told me he was going, I told him to follow me and lead him right here to our spot. We didn't and hadn't got to continue what we had started in the cabin that time but tonight I made sure we did. It was all I could ever imagine. He was gentle and loving, careful and caring, he treated me like I was the only thing in the world he had.

I knew what this was as soon as I suggested it, this was our goodbye. But I liked to think we had the hope of seeing each other soon with us as well.

A Dhampir and Dhampir relationship was not very acceptable and was looked at as the worst possible thing. We weren't helping our race grow to protect the Moroi, Dhampir's couldn't have children together and so what was the point?

We were destined to protect Moroi, at all cost, with our lives because they came first. It was something I didn't do; risk my life for another but right now I wanted nothing more than to march into battle alongside my love and risk everything. Just so I could make sure he came back to me or at least to the princess.

'Roza?' He clutches me tighter to his chest and my hold never broke from him. 'I love you.' He breathes.

I close my eyes as tightly as I could and held on to the words I loved to hear. 'I love you.' He reaches down and captures my lips, cutting off whatever else I was going to say.

We lay there in bed, holding onto each other as if he was what I needed to breathe. There were no more words between us, just kisses and squeezes and looks of love between each other. For if things went horribly wrong, this would be the last moment we would ever have together.

**...**

The sun was up as I watched out of the window of the clinic at the guardian's preparing for the mission. I could spot Dimitri from a mile away, his height making him stand out over all the others. We left the cabin before sunrise and went back to the clinic to see how the princess was doing. She hadn't woke up yet but Dimitri asked for a moment alone with her and I left him to it. I waited and watched as he whispered some words to her; he looked a little odd as he did this, like his eyes were somewhere else entirely.

He stayed very still, his eyes glazed over as if he wasn't there at all but then they snapped back out of it soon after. It was as though he was trying to reach her somehow, to see if she was okay or something. He leaned down to kiss her forehead and then walked out of the room. I let the mysterious action go to the back of my mind as I followed him to my office. We said our tearful goodbyes, I kissed him hard and with everything I had, and then he looked at me with those eyes. The eyes that spoke so many words I didn't even have to ask what they were.

His smell still lingered on me and in my mind; it was the strong smell of aftershave and leather. I watch as he talked to other guardian's and nodded firmly, in that stoic guardian manner of his. I knew in my heart that I would never love another the way I love him.

They were loading cars and even taking some Moroi with them, the ones who wanted to fight back. I was proud of him for going and fighting to rescue the others but scared that this was all we could have together. That this was the last time I would see him, hold him and tell him that I loved him. I hoped and prayed that it wouldn't be it but in this life, who knew.

As I watched him from the window, Eddie had seen me looking and waved a small subtle goodbye. He smiled sadly at me, being the only one who knew that Dimitri and I had feelings for each other. What he didn't know was that we had acted on those feelings and this moment was more difficult than I thought it would be. I spot Dimitri walking to the front of a big black SUV and with one last turn to the clinic he catches my eye and stares. It was only for a short second but at the look in his eyes I understood the unspoken words.

He loved me and I loved him, and that was all that mattered. So with one last sharp nod to me, he turns around and gets into the truck.

**…**

The sun hovered over the line of the horizon. The dark was coming and still no word on how the mission went. They were supposed to be back before nightfall, attacking the Strigoi in there near hideout during the day was a good plan but now it was almost dusk and there's been not one word.

Dr. Olendski and I had prepared for the guardian's and Moroi's return by prepping the clinic and making sure the princess was okay. She was still out and we didn't know when she would regain the strength to wake up again but my mind would not stop running and running. The thoughts of Dimitri and what was happening were constantly popping up in my head, different scenarios and possibilities streaming about. I had to keep redoing IV bags because I couldn't focus right. As I finally finished the last one, I heard a yell from the outside.

I made my way out of the room, checking on the princess along the way, walking the long hall to the front of the clinic. And when I finally got there, my heart stopped at the sight before me.

The doors were wide open as crowds of guardian's and Moroi walked into the clinic, another nurse had yelled for me to go outside and help escort some of the wounded inside. As I fought my way through the crowd, I glance here and there for the one face I wanted so badly to see. Bloody bruised and hurt guardian's carried some of the victims in and some even carried other guardian's as well. I walked out of the clinic and into a bigger crowd of more wounded, students and teachers, both injured and weak.

As I assessed some of them and helped guide them into the clinic, I couldn't help but look for the brown eyes that are etched into my memory. I couldn't find him anywhere though, my eyes caught every tallish male walking passed me and the more I couldn't spot him the more fear set in my heart. I looked and looked, even stopping a few people to get a good look at them but didn't come up with anything. And then, I spotted Eddie and the sad apologetic look locked into his eyes.

It was odd because it was one of those moments between Dimitri and where he didn't have to say anything for me to get the point but before my mind could conceive what Eddie's look meant, I felt a pull of my sleeve hearing my name.

'Ms. Hathaway, the princess is awake...'


	3. Chapter 3

Richelle Mead owns these characters.

**Chapter 3:** Silver Soul.

My mind couldn't believe what she was saying to me, thoughts and memories flooded my mind as I tried to make sense of everything. _She knew_. Her eyes wide with not understanding what she had felt and what she had known.

'So… so your saying that you felt when he- when he-' All she did was nod at my unspoken word. _Died_. Guardian Belikov had died.

Eddie told me as I helped him back into the clinic and set him up before making my way back to the princess' room. As soon as I saw her big green eyes wide as ever and her breathing rapid; I knew something was wrong. It took a while to calm her down and my focus had cleared so that I could do my job but as soon as I did, I had to fight the tears that wanted to spill.

As she shot up from her unconsciousness and started to weep, it was as if I had felt her pain, like I had known her sadness and I wanted to cry with her. I was worried, scared, confused and lost. So lost without the knowledge of where Dimitri was or if he was actually really dead. Did dead mean awakened, Strigoi? Or did it mean dead as in not living?

When Eddie had said those words, those heartbreaking and soul ripping words, I wanted to fade away. I wanted to run back out and find him, be sure that it was true because if it were, if that really did happen; I was empty. Then the princess had suddenly woke up and kept crying, saying she didn't understand. Well, neither did I, especially now that she's told me the biggest deepest secret there is.

'How do you know?! How do you know, for sure?' Her eyes stayed on mine as the watery blur enveloped my eyes. 'We're bonded, he's shadow kissed.'

**...**

_The day was bright and the sun was shining. The day, it wasn't night until a couple of hours from now and the sun would eventually weaken the Moroi but I had missed the sun. The princess was firm on her promise to visit her only uncle, Viktor Dashkov. He was ill and the princess had wanted to see him before anything major happened. He was on the way to the academy and so we decided to kill two birds with one stone._

_His estate was big but I've seen bigger. The Dashkov's knew the Dragomir's well and so with Viktor being Vasilisa's only connection to her family left; I decided this trip wouldn't do any harm. The house was quiet as we entered behind one of Viktor's guardian's. He stopped us in the hallway of the mansion and said that Viktor wanted to see the princess alone._

_This is where the bad feeling had entered my mind and my guardian instincts upped a couple levels. 'I think it's better if one of us go with you, Princess.' The princess nods and turns to the other guardian nodding again. As she turned to face me though, I immediately knew it wasn't going to go the way I wanted. She held assurance and confidence in her eyes before speaking, letting me know this was the final word. 'It's okay, Guardian Belikov, I'll just be a few minutes and then we can leave.'_

_I searched her eyes feeling a bit hesitant and then looked to Viktor's guardian, he had a stoic expression as most of us guardian's do but then he spoke. 'Lord Dashkov, would only like the presence of the princess as his appearance isn't well and he isn't comfortable with others among him.' Others?_

_I look back to the princess again and she nods to me, assuring me that everything will be fine. I nod back before she turns and heads down the hallway deeper into the mansion following the guardian ahead of her._

_Time flew by, minutes became even more minutes and just as I gave Edison a look of suspicion, another guardian approached us. 'Guardian Belikov, Guardian Castile, the princess has asked for your presence in the living room.'_

_At his firm tone, I felt something wasn't right and the feeling had grown in my chest was spreading everywhere else. Eddie and I exchange a look of confusion but then follow the guardian to the living room. We walk down a long dark hallway into an empty room and the silence is so eerie the alarm in my head goes off. As soon as we turn to face each other, the door slams shut and a good ten guardian's step out of another doorway._

_'It's an ambush!' I yell as they run straight for us._

_Eddie and I take them all on, fists and bodies being thrown about, men landing on the floor and then getting right back up. I lose sight of Eddie in a pile of bodies, my mind races with where the princess is and if she is okay, and my fighting instincts take over. I can vaguely hear screaming, I can barely see Eddie and I try to take out as many guardians as I can. Once I have three left I see Eddie struggle and then decide on desperate measures, I take out my stake and slash the men throwing their fists and legs at me. Once I have them backed off, I make my way to Eddie and help him._

_He also removes his stake from his holster, something a Dhampir guardian is trained not to do against his own kind. To stake a fellow guardian is unheard of but they attacked us and now were back to back. There are four of them laying bruised and battered on the floor, the other six surround us and my worry for the princess keeps pulling my thoughts away from the current situation. 'Let me go!' A young girl's voice rings out and we both know its Vasilisa._

_They surround us as Eddie and I think of what to do next, how to get to the princess, but suddenly she comes right to us. The door burst open and the princess is being chased by another guardian, the one who met us at the door. She stops in her tracks and she's trapped between the six surrounding us and the one going for her. No one moves, no one speaks and then Viktor enters the room in his slow steady movement and so calm it's a little scary. He looks a lot older than they described, he looks as though he's almost aged a hundred years but then he smiles._

_'Vasilisa, my dear, don't be afraid. We're family after all and you know what they say about family…'_

'_Youre insane! Why are you doing this Viktor, why?!' Vasilisa screams in fear at him._

_He drops his easy going smile and his face becomes something dark and angry. 'Do not refuse me, girl, if you do there will be consequences.' The princess swallows deeply and then moves her eyes across the room. As a couple of the men that were surrounding us move in to trap her, I give Eddie a look telling him to keep his eyes open and prepare for anything._

_The silent intensity lasts only for a few moments. As Eddie finds an opening and reaches for one of the guards but he falters losing his hold. 'No, no, no. I wouldn't be bold at this particular moment, Guardian Castile.' Viktor sneers as two psyhounds enter the room and stop just in front of us. 'Now, where were we, my dear, Vasilisa?' Viktor steps forward and slowly reaches for the princess and she flinches as his wrinkly fingers grasp her shoulder. 'Oh, yes, a healing… shall we?'_

_He drags Vasilisa closer to him and clutches her hand tightly in his, she tries to release herself and I move in a reflexive action to get to her but the growl of one of the hound's stops me in place. 'Don't do it, Princess!' Eddie yells as Viktor glares at us both._

_He keeps trying to get the princess to use her spirit magic but she refuses him. A few moments go by where Viktor finally gets fed up and pushes the princess into the guardian standing beside him arms. The guardian grabs her roughly by the hair and begins to threaten her with a beating if she doesn't do anything. I watch as Vasilisa receives a smack to the face and flinch at the control to stay back. 'Okay! Okay, I'll do it!' She screams out and tears stain her face._

_As the guardian pushes her toward Viktor, the princess looks to me with an odd expression. I can't really tell what it is or what she means by it but Eddie looks to me as he had caught it as well. As she finally reaches Viktor, he sneers and smiles wickedly at her but then everything changes in a quick flash of a second._

_The psyhounds suddenly face the other direction and begin growling toward the guardian's surrounding us. Instead of watching and waiting, I kick into action and attack the men from behind. 'Get the princess and run!' I yell to Eddie who has begun making his way through the guardian's as well._

_We both fight our way through, some of the men wounded from our stakes, some scared of moving too close to the psyhounds and some bleeding from their bites. I come face to face with the guardian leading Viktor and the princess out of another door and as soon as we meet the fight begins. Eddie goes after Viktor and the princess who were running into another part of the mansion. The hounds have a good portion of the men down and wounded but as soon as Vasilisa has left the room their threat ends up back on me. I fight with the guardian who is plenty skilled and moves quickly but he wasn't ready for my stake to plunge into him as we clash body against body._

_Once he's down I regain my footing but it's already too late. I feel the blood leave my stomach as I discover his stake had wounded me too and before I can have time to think about it, the hounds attack. I don't have time to react as I've been dragged to the ground, bite after bite of sharp razor teeth tear at my skin and the blood has oozed out of my stomach. The bites sting and bleed as I'm blinded in one eye from blood splatter. The pain intensifies as they've discovered my stomach wound and begin ripping my skin from there._

_It's a sharp rip through my body over and over as I begin to yell in agony. I try my best to endure the pain and attempt to fight back but the blood has covered my face, the pain taking me away. Then everything fades to black and the pain takes over. The darkness wraps me in its deathly grip, my thoughts are gone, my pain also and a very faint white light appears. It's small at first but grows and grows the deeper I sink into the nothingness._

_A large white flash explodes in front of me and I'm not sure whether I'm dead or alive or lost somewhere in between. A wave of sadness and determination moves through my mind, all these feelings of sadness, flashes of light and voices. I can hear voices. One so angelic and the other in concern and amazement, they were faint at first but are quickly becoming louder and stronger as the white glow grows. In a flash the light is gone and so is the darkness._

_My breathing returns, my heart beating rapidly and my eyes spring open. The green glow of eyes appears in my vision and a faint calling of my name gets closer. 'Dimitri… Dimitri, can you hear me?'_

_The princess' voice, the voice I've been hearing this whole time, suddenly a room appears around me and Eddie and Vasilisa are hovering over me. There's worry and concern in both their eyes and all I can do is blink. 'Guardian Belikov, you're okay!' I blink again and nod her thoughts loud and clear in my mind._

_'I'm fine. I'm fi- I'm fine. What happened?' I ask as Eddie looks to the princess and then back to me in amazement. 'She saved you.'_

**...**

I will always remember my days and nights with Dimitri Belikov. All the moments and things we shared together. All the plans and ideas we had about life, a life we wished for, a life we both knew couldn't exist. It hurt the realization of what could never be but when we talked about it; it seemed so real. We were real; our love was the only real thing either of us had. And I will never forget it. _Ever._

His kisses still linger on my lips; gentle yet powerful. His smile occurs in my memories and it brings one out of me. I would never forget my time and love with Dimitri. I will always love him.

That love was so strong that it brought me here; Russia. To his beloved home and family, who I'm sure are awaiting another word from him. After the mission and the princess' confession I had decided to come to Baia and inform his family of his death. In my mind it was the right thing to do. He had told me all about them and how much he missed them.

It was confirmed that Dimitri did in fact die in the caves. He wasn't awakened by Strigoi but his body had been found not far off the trail completely drained. They drank from him and another guardian who Dimitri had tried to save but couldn't get to in time. He was so determined to save everyone in that mission, to get back the honor he had felt he lost when the princess had got hurt. The heroic act ended up costing him his life but not his honor. He was remembered a few days later as the queen had come to St. Vladimir's to honor those who died in the attack and the rescue mission.

I had told Eddie about our relationship and at first he was kind of shocked but eventually got over it. The princess was a little more surprised when she found out. I didn't have to say a word of it to her; she kind of just figured it out on her own. Never the less, she was a little hurt he hadn't said anything as she was trying to get him to notice her boyfriend's aunt who was actually quite fond of Dimitri. After the queen had left and the princess, Eddie and her new guardian left for court.

I had decided to leave as well. The academy had held a lot of memories for me and although most were good, some were too painful to keep remembering. That was the place I had met the love of my life, the place where we fell in love and the place where we had our last moments together. So I had called my father, Abe, and told him I was headed to Russia. He had scheduled a flight straight to St. Petersburg when I arrived but I told him there was somewhere I had to stop first.

So here I am, on a train in the middle of Russia, headed to the small Dhampir commune of Baia. Where Dimitri was born and raised, where his family still lives and waits for him. The news of Dimitri being shadow kissed had surprised me at first because I wasn't sure how that worked but after some research I had some knowledge of it. It was a very rare thing to be and there weren't many shadow kissed Moroi or Dhampir that were out there but it was useful to a guardian. It let Dimitri keep an even closer watch on the princess and although she said at times it would get uncomfortable, she had missed it. She missed him a lot and so did I.

**...**

The train finally comes to a stop at the station and when I get to the ticket booth, I find out I have to travel by car. The drive to Baia was long and silent. It left me in my thoughts and nerves of meeting the family of my secret boyfriend. If they were at all like Dimitri had described them, well, then I had nothing to worry about I guess. It's about night fall as I arrive in the small town and search for the house of the Belikova family.

It was just his three sisters, his nephew and niece, and his mother and grandmother who had lived there. His father was a Moroi, he didn't talk about him much but he once said he had abused his mother and when Dimitri was old enough, he kicked his ass out of there. He was raised with nothing but women and so his respect for them was something I understood even more.

I pull up to the house and sit in the small car that I had rented. A deep full breath releases itself from my chest and into the silent air of the car. My stomach swirls with nervousness and fear but my hand moves on its own to turn off the engine and unbuckle my seat belt. Once I'm out of the car and into the night of the town, the cold hits me. I had always teased him that he was from an arctic wasteland and he would always roll his eyes at me. The memory brings a smile to my face.

As I slowly step around the car and on to the cement, the front door of the house opens wide and an old fragile looking woman stands there before nodding at me. As if she was expecting me or something.

Yeva walks me into the house and speaks in fast fluent Russian as another woman greets me. Her smile wide with politeness and her eyes brown and deep, so much like Dimitri's. Once I meet everyone and we settle into the living room, Yeva once again speaks in Russian and gestures to me. 'You knew, Dimka?' Olena asks as I look all over the house and discover how homey it is.

It was somewhere where you knew there was so much love here and family was above all else. 'Um, yeah, I knew Dimitri. He was working at St. Vladimir's when we met.'

'The last we heard from him he was going to Montana to guard the Dragomir princess. Is that where he ended up?' I nod and watch as all their eyes land on me.

His sisters were absolutely beautiful; they all had dark brown hair and brown eyes, and that accent when they spoke English. His grandmother was a little different, same eyes but her hair was covered in gray streaks; some darker than others. Olena had his eyes also but her hair was the same light brown as Dimitri's. Yeva once again spoke in fluent Russian catching all our attention.

Viktoria, the youngest of the Belikova's, sharply turned to me in a worried gaze. 'What happen to Dimka?'

The question kind of stumped me and a lump had grown in my throat the size of a golf ball. I swallowed it down to the best of my ability and sighed at their eager faces. This was it, the moment of truth, what I traveled so far for and what I promised to Dimitri I would do in honor of his memory. So I swallow my nerves and fear to speak. 'There was an attack at the academy… and Dimitri was trying to protect the princess but somethi- _someone_ had distracted him from finding her. So she ended up getting hurt and he felt really bad about it.'

'What do you mean someone distracted him?' His oldest sister had asked, not missing my change of word as I begun to explain what happen.

The lump in my throat came up again and my eyes begun to water. 'Me… He was- he was looking for me. See, um, we were uh- we were-'

'In love?' Olena's eyes had sparkled for a moment and all I could do was nod at her.

The tears had taken over my eyes as I retold the story of how their beloved family member had died. A few days later and I was still in Baia. The Belikova's were having a gathering in honor of Dimitri tonight. His sisters and nephew all asked me question after question of how we fell in love and what he was like around the students. His mother -all of them really- treated me like I was another member of the family. As if I was his widow or something.

They all were very nice and welcoming; they shared childhood memories of Dimitri and asked about the times we shared together. They even asked about the princess and what kind of guardian he was to her. I didn't tell them about him being shadow kissed but it seemed like Yeva had already known that. Especially since this morning she has been giving me odd looks and smirks all day. Just like now, as I sit next to Karolina and repeat no thank you's over and over again to offers of vodka. It smelled pretty strong and I wouldn't have minded drinking some but I couldn't after the three tests I took last night.

I felt her stare as a neighbor of theirs was remembering a time when Dimitri was a boy and he had caught him and his sisters out in the yard as they married him off to their dolls. Everyone had laughed at that part, including myself but Yeva's eyes had caught mine and a knowing glance shined in them. 'Kissed by the shadows.'

'What?' Yeva's words scare me as I make my way up the stairs on the way to bed after everyone had left.

'Dimka, he was kissed by the shadows for saving the princess.' I nod surprised as she squints her eyes and looks at me with intrigue. She lets a small smirk grace her aged face and pats my shoulder as she passes me on the staircase. 'It explains the child, my dear.'

I watch in shock and confusion as her retreating figure walks away toward her room. I hadn't said one word to anyone and I hid the tests as soon as I finished with them. So how the hell did she know I was pregnant?


End file.
